Hey John, very excited about this race as someone who lives right across the border. Quick question to follow-up on some of Tri-Banter's points - did you consider a full Iron-distance option, as opposed to the large proliferation of half iron-distance options?

For those coming across the border from the states, I HIGHLY recommend getting a NEXUS pass - it will make your life much easier if you are crossing the border on race day (or any other day for that matter), and if you have never done a Multsport Canada race before, they are amongst the best in the business - always a great job....

For those coming across the border from the states, I HIGHLY recommend getting a NEXUS pass - it will make your life much easier if you are crossing the border on race day (or any other day for that matter),

it really depends on the traffic at the border control checkpoint you are at. It isn't unusual for it to last 90 minutes, but can go up to 3 hours on a bad day. Nexus really makes it a LOT easier/faster, and also works in airports. As an average business traveller, I love it and would highly recommend getting it ---- My blog - http://lecoindeneda.blogspot.ca

" Thanks for the info. How difficult is the process to cross the border if I don't have this pass?"

How big a concern is crossing the border for Americans to do a race in Canada - Serious question?

To answer your question - No, a NEXUS card is not required. You will need a passport. If the line up is long at the border the NEXUS card can reduce that time a bit or a lot depending on what the situation is like when you show up - this is true for land or airport customs clearance. Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

" Thanks for the info. How difficult is the process to cross the border if I don't have this pass?"

How big a concern is crossing the border for Americans to do a race in Canada - Serious question?

To answer your question - No, a NEXUS card is not required. You will need a passport. If the line up is long at the border the NEXUS card can reduce that time a bit or a lot depending on what the situation is like when you show up - this is true for land or airport customs clearance.

Thanks Steve. It was a legitimate question as I have not crossed before. Good note about the passport.

For those not familiar with the Niagara region, we have 4 International crossings. As others have said, the wait can be up to 3 hours (however an early Saturday or Sunday morning should not be a problem - getting back on the other hand post-race is a different story.) This site shows you delays on both side of the four bridges: http://niagarafallsbridges.com/. The real benefit to the Nexus card for locals is access to the Whirlpool bridge which is NEXUS only - as the interviewing agent said when we did our interviews "it is like your own private country club border crossing".

The process is fairly easy - fill out the online app, pay $50, and schedule an interview. However the wait time for an interview can be up to three months. You then need to do an in person interview w/both a Canadian and US customs official. (We found it interesting that even though they worked out of the same little building the US officer carried a weapon, and the Canadian official did not, but I digress....)

It is important to note that everyone in the vehicle needs to have a NEXUS pass if you use the Whirlpool bridge or NEXUS lanes. And in addition to some conveniences at airports, those of us who boat on the Niagara river or Great Lakes, it can make your life easier there also. Bob

Thanks Steve. It was a legitimate question as I have not crossed before. Good note about the passport.

Great. Glad I could help.

The post above is helpful as well.

I cross the border regularly, from Canada into the U.S. and back, and even without a NEXUS card I have never had to wait 3-hours. Although my back and forth in the last has been dramatically reduced to just a few times. I have heard of significant cut-backs in staffing for U.S. Customs & Immigration. Perhaps this is impacting things for people crossing into the U.S. more.

I recently came back into Canada, in the afternoon, on the Monday of a long holiday weekend( ie about as peak as you can get) and the wait was about 45 minutes. I was expecting the worst with that one, but was pleasantly surprised.

Most of the time you sit in the car, exchange a few words and are on your way. The border crossing into Canada is a pretty friendly and straight forward. They'll ask you how long you plan to be in the country, where you plan on staying and what you intend to do. Simple basic answes will get you through in a minute or two. The Broder crossing into the US is pretty much the same.

The NEXUS card is unnecessary unless you plan crossing back and forth often. It requires Homeland Security and CSIS background checks and is overkill for a single tourist visit.

Occasionally the border guards will do random check. The probability of such a random check increases if you happen to be wearing gang-banger attire, a rastafarian hat with a Marijuana leaf T-shirt, mention you love guns and never leave home without them, or keep shouting Arabic phrases while a strange ticking sound eminates from under your shirt. "The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts." - Bertrand Russell

Hey Bob, glad to hear you are excited and thank you for the kind words about our races!

The honest answer is that we had given some consideration to an Iron Distance for the reason you mention, but there are several factors in the decision to launch as a Half Iron, not the least of are the following.

We know this course well, as it is part of our Welland Half Iron in June. The bike course for the Niagara race is a nice course with the first loop being 65k to the south and southwest of Welland, parts of which are along Lake Erie, with the final 25k splitting off to go to Niagara Falls. In order to increase the distance to 165k we would need to extend the bike course in a more northerly direction and then bring it back to the split where you go to the Falls. In order to do that we must cross commercial railway lines. The issue with commercial railway lines is there is no schedule. Train time is anytime. Given that alone we have decided to go with what we know and start out as a Half Iron. That does not preclude the possibility of exploring other options for extending the bike to the east and south closer to Niagara Falls. If we could find 180k that way, it could work. There are certainly a lot of athletes in Ontario who would like to see a full Iron Distance. Having said that, we would have another issue to address, the run course and use of the Parkway in Niagara Falls.

What will make this such a special race is the two times you get to run past the American and Canadian Falls. I personally worked for three years on getting the approval to run twice PAST the Falls (no one has been that lucky before). We have a completely closed lane for the run on the Niagara Parkway and the Niagara Parks Commission has been great to work with. The City of Niagara Falls has been very helpful for the city section of the run. The issue with a full Iron would be the length of time we would need the lane on the Niagara Parkway and the roads in the city, especially the section on Murray Hill as you go past the Niagara Casino, heading to the Parkway and the Falls section. With a Half Iron we know that 2/3 of athletes will be clear of Murray Hill on the second loop by 3:15. With a full Iron it would be a lot later. Once we see the impact the race will have as a Half we could see if there was an appetite on the part of the city and Niagara Parks Commission to allow extended use of the roads. After all we are visiting their home and it is very important we keep the communities happy.

I know that is a long answer to a short question but I want you to know we are looking at everything to make this a special race. John Salt, MultiSport Canada Triathlon Series http://www.multisportcanada.com / http://www.niagarafallstriathlon.com"Discipline Is What You Do When No One Is Watching You" Canada'a Largest Triathlon Series

Buzz, no thoughts on a Sprint right now, mainly because of the two transitions. Our first priority will be getting the Half Iron athletes to the start and racing by 9:00AM. A shorter distance race is possible if we started that race at 8:00AM and the Half at 9:00AM. It would have to be a Triathlon distance (750/30/7.5) and not a Sprint with a 20k bike. Otherwise you don't make it to the Falls. We will make sure the Half Iron is well executed in 2014 and then consider the possibility. After all, the Sprint athletes could volunteer after their race was done or at least cheer home the Half Iron athletes. John Salt, MultiSport Canada Triathlon Series http://www.multisportcanada.com / http://www.niagarafallstriathlon.com"Discipline Is What You Do When No One Is Watching You" Canada'a Largest Triathlon Series

This is the part of these longer races that is hard for people to understand. For a full iron-distance race, you would need to have permitting and road closures for some key roads for 17+ hours!! Considering, that most municipalities start at "absolutly no" for these sorts of things, to get anything, is great. To get what you need for a 1/2 iron-distance is extrordinary.

I'm stoked by this race announcement. I absolutely enjoyed racing John's Welland Half and will almost certainly do both the Welland and Niagara next season. "The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts." - Bertrand Russell